Quiz of The Week: 2 - 8 March

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt had two primary aims in his Spring Budget this week: to tackle a cost-of-living crisis that has dominated the headlines and prepare the ground for the general election expected later this year.

With Labour far ahead in the opinion polls, it could prove the final Tory budget for the next five years. Hunt largely played it safe, revealing an extension to the alcohol and fuel duty freeze announced last autumn and an increase in the high-income threshold for the child benefit charge.

Most eye-catchingly, though, the Tory chancellor lifted a page directly out of Labour's upcoming manifesto and announced he was eliminating "non-dom" tax status to fund a 2% cut to National Insurance contributions.

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Across the pond Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential candidate, dropped out after the Super Tuesday primaries finally extinguished her chances. The results indicate that American voters – and much of the world – will be treated to a Biden versus Trump rematch come November.

Trump's campaign will feel bolstered by his recent Supreme Court victory and by Democrats organising anti-Biden protests over Gaza but election day is still a long way out.

In lighter news, Thursday was World Book Day and social media was once again flooded with pictures of children in their literary hero costumes. 

Adults are indulging themselves book-wise too it seems too with news that romantasy has become the latest publishing craze. It combines the ever-popular fantasy genre with classic romantic tropes – and is one way to forget all about the cost-of-living crisis or presidential politics. 

To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest developments in the news and other global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

1. Which K-pop star had to apologise to fans for being in a relationship?

• Haerin
• Jennie
• Momo
• Karina

2. How many new bills did Louisiana’s governor sign in an attempt to crack down on crime?

• 3
• 8
• 11
• 16

3. Fans of which football club left only 15 minutes into their match against Arsenal?

• Brentford
• Nottingham Forest
• Sheffield United
• Bournemouth

4. Which planet, once thought to have the potential for sustaining life, has less oxygen on its surface than anticipated? 

• Kepler-186f
• Mars
• Europa 
• Enceladus 

5. Which member of the royal family's uncle is in 'Celebrity Big Brother' this year?

• Meghan Markle
• Sarah Ferguson
• Kate Middleton
• Lord Frederick Windsor

6. The US will release its first over-the-counter birth control pill under what name?

• Opill
• Oguard 
• Oplan
• OTCprotect

7. A leaked German military recording appeared to claim soldiers from which country are fighting in Ukraine?

• UK
• France
• Germany
• United States

8. Which country became the first to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution? 

• Finland 
• Sweden
• France
• Brazil 

9. What makes up the largest proportion of dangerous animals kept as pets in the UK?

• Snakes
• Lions
• Servals
• Tigers

10. A new system known as 'dynamic pricing' is being tested by which large fast food chain? 

• McDonald's 
• Wendy's
• Burger King 
• Five Guys 

1. Karina
The leader of South Korean girl group Aespa issued a handwritten apology after her fans discovered she had a boyfriend. Some went so far as to show up at her agency angrily declaring their displeasure. K-pop stars are often marketed as being romantically obtainable and many have "no dating" clauses in their contracts.

2. 11
The recently approved bills "lengthen sentences for some offenses, to strictly limit access to parole, to prosecute 17-year-olds charged with any crime as adults, and to allow methods of execution beyond lethal injection". Louisiana's governor, Jeff Landry, believes the new bills will "put the interests of victims before the interests of criminals".

3. Sheffield United
After Gabriel Martinelli put Arsenal 3-0 up in the 15th minute, a number of Sheffield United supporters began filing out of Bramall Lane. It sparked debate over fans abandoning their teams before the full-time whistle, with Blades manager Chris Wilder saying he “totally understands”. The match ended 6-0 to Arsenal.

4. Europa 
Jupiter's moon, Europa, is believed to have a salty ocean under its icy shell. Some scientists think that Europa's oxygen – formed when particles from space split frozen water molecules on the icy crust into hydrogen and oxygen – sinks down into the subterranean ocean, mixing with volcanic material to create a "chemical soup that may end up making life".  

5. Kate Middleton
The Princess of Wales's uncle Gary Goldsmith has already courted controversy on the ITV reality show by telling the other contestants that Meghan Markle had put a "stick in the spokes" of a previously "really comfortable" relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

6. Opill
The availability of birth control in the US has traditionally "been dependent on access to health insurance and to a regular health care provider who could prescribe it". The new contraceptive "will soon become the most effective birth-control method available without a doctor's visit". 

7. UK
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced that an initial investigation of the leak indicated a participant joined the call on a non-secure line and Russia is likely to have intercepted it from there. The incident has inflamed the long-tense relationship between Nato and Moscow. 

8. France
Abortion has been legal in France since 1975 and, after a 780-27 vote on Monday, it is now a constitutional right. "We're sending a message to all women: Your body belongs to you, and no one can decide for you," said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. However, the Vatican disagrees, saying "there can be no 'right' to take a human life".

9. Snakes
There are more than 400 licences for venomous snakes in the UK – 10 times more than are being kept in zoos, according to the wildlife charity Born Free. There has been a sharp rise in the number of dangerous animals kept in the UK with more than 2,700 now registered, including lions, tigers and crocodiles.

10. Wendy's
Wendy's CEO Kirk Tanner announced the restaurant chain will be trying out new features. One of them is surge pricing, which is the practice of pricing a product based on fluctuating demand. Wendy's said this would "allow us to change the menu offerings at different times of day and offer discounts and value offers to our customers" during slower periods.